Every parliamentary written question tabled by Charlie Dewhirst this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 859 · this parliament
Further to the Part of a Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 4 February 2026 relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as HM Ambassador to Washington, Volume 1, HC1774-I, 11 March 2026, whether the Intelligence and Security Committee had access to independent legal advice for the consideration of the redaction of the material.
The Government does not comment on the resourcing decisions taken by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).
Who had a role in the vetting process for Lord Mandelson.
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
With reference to the Employment Appeal Tribunal of Mr P Easton v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025], whether the Government People Group has provided guidance on dismissing a civil servant for dishonesty on their application.
Individual departments are responsible for their own discipline policies and guidance, which detail formal processes and procedures. These policies align with the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code, which set out the standards and behaviour expected from all employees. Departments collect information internally as required, in accordance with GDPR.
With reference to his statement of 11 March 2026, Official Report, Column 364, on Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address Motion, for what reason he did not receive the request to approve the exit payment to Lord Mandelson.
I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department intends to take steps to support the uptake of industrial hemp farming, in the context of challenges around licensing and investment in the sector.
Defra recognises the valuable addition industrial hemp can provide to farmers when planning their crop rotation. The responsibility for the regulation of industrial hemp and licencing for cannabis cultivation in the UK lies with the Home Office. After further consultation with the industry the Home Office, with support of Defra, has introduced reforms to licensing that make it easier for farmers to cultivate industrial hemp. From January 2025, the rules on ‘site sensitivity’ were removed. Also, the duration of licences granted from January 2026 has been extended from three years to six years, with no additional fees. The Government has also announced its intention to raise the permitted tetrahyrdocannabinol (THC) levels in industrial hemp varieties to 0.3%, with plans in place to amend the relevant legislation needed to bring this into force. Combined, these reforms will enable an expansion of the UK’s hemp growing area, with better alignment of licences with the farming calendar and crop rotation planning, more flexibility in where it can be grown and an increase in the number of varieties growers can use.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences for winter burns of vegetation in England have been granted by Defra in the last year; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Action Plan on Wildfires, published on 5 March 2026, in the context of the use of winter burns.
No Heather and Grass Burning Licences have yet been granted in the 2025-2026 burning season. Whilst a number of the applications we have received have been determined, others are still being processed. Both Heather and Grass Burning, and wildfire are devolved matters.
What metrics and data points HM Treasury collates on government spending on consultancy.
Information on spending on consultancy each financial year is published and available through individual departments’ Annual Reports and Accounts, which departments input to OSCAR after publication. This is the most accurate source of data on consultancy spending, and is how we judge whether spending targets on consultancy have been met.
With reference to the Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments: Use of Special Severance Payments, November 2025, whether payments made under the £150 million government employee exit scheme fund will be reportable under the special severance scheme guidance.
Where payments made from the fund meet the criteria of special severance payments, the associated reporting requirements will apply.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Diplomatic Service’s policies are regarding intimate relationships between colleagues; whether (a) junior and (b) senior civil servants are permitted to enter into sexual relationships with co-workers; what requirements exist to declare such relationships where there is a reporting line or managerial responsibility; and what guidance is issued under the diplomatic service code regarding potential conflicts of interest arising from workplace relationships.
All Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff are subject to the Civil Service Code. It is for their managers to determine whether an individual's conduct meets, or falls short of, the standards of behaviour and integrity set out in the Code, and to put appropriate arrangements in place when a personal relationship could create a real or perceived conflict of interest.
If his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on productivity; and what information his Department holds on the OBR having made such an assessment.
The Government has published a comprehensive assessment on the impact of the Act. It cites academic evidence linking stronger employment protections to improved productivity and highlights that better job security, wellbeing, and reduced undercutting of good employers may lead to a more productive workforce.The OBR have not yet made an assessment of the Act as policy development is still ongoing. The OBR has stated that it plans to include the Act in its forecasts once details are sufficiently confirmed, and we will support them in preparing for any forecast in future.
Pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 105534, on Public Sector: Pay, if he will publish the names of the three departments or public bodies that were rejected through the senior pay approvals process.
The senior pay control process acts as an additional layer of scrutiny to senior salaries within the public sector and is designed to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. Details of the cases that are submitted through this process are not published. Individual salaries for successful applications are available through the annual reports and accounts of the employing bodies.
With reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Budget Information Security Review, published on 9 February 2026, whether her Department has identified the (a) individual and (b) entity that accessed the Electronic Financial Statement in March 2025.
As noted in Paragraph 3.6 of the Budget Information Security Review, the National Cyber Security Centre explained why it is not possible to identify to whom the IP addresses used to obtain early access in March or November 2025 belong.
Pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2025, to Question 85191, on Parliament: Public Expenditure, how much of the (a) resource and (b) capital expenditure in each year was notionally allocated to support Restoration and Renewal.
It would be for Parliament to confirm these allocations.
What the total cost of implementing the technical and procedural changes recommended in the Budget Information Security Review (February 2026) has been assessed as.
No additional resources have been identified as required by HM Treasury.
Pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 105533, on Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay, and to Question 105534, on Public Sector: Pay whether departments are required to report details of civil service leavers, and exit payments, to HM Treasury.
Departments are not required to report details of Civil Service leavers and exit payments under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme to HM Treasury. Departments publish information on exit payments and staffing numbers within their Annual Reports and Accounts. Departments are however required to report to HM Treasury the use of all special severance payments paid within the financial year in line with the published transparency requirements.
What formal safeguards are in place to ensure that publication of the Electronic Financial Statement via HM Treasury does not compromise the operational independence of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
HM Treasury published the March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Forecast on behalf of the Office for Budget Responsibility and at its request.Paragraph 3.12 of the Budget Information Security Review notes: “The publication of the OBR’s EFO on GOV.UK by HMT should not diminish the OBR’s independence and will not give HMT access to any information ahead of time of which it is not already aware.”
With reference to the Budget Information Security Review, February 2026, paragraph 5.20, whether the Macpherson Principles will apply to the briefing of non-market sensitive Budget information.
As explained in paragraphs 5.1 to 5.5 of the Budget Information Security Review, the Macpherson Principles apply to: the economic and fiscal projections, the fiscal judgement and individual tax rates, reliefs and allowances.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers have received any coaching in foreign languages funded by the department since July 2024.
Since July 2024 one minister has received coaching in a foreign language funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
How (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) her Department check the office attendance of individual civil servants.
HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury operate hybrid working arrangements in line with the Civil Service expectation on office attendance. Employees are expected to spend at least 60 per cent of their time in the office. Line managers are responsible for monitoring attendance and for addressing non‑compliance using appropriate informal and formal management processes. Office attendance is monitored using available building access data or network log‑on information.
With reference to the answer of 1 September 2025 to Question HL9555 on Chagos Islands: Defence, what the percentage split is between the two Departments.
The payments split associated with the UK-Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Ministry of Defence will be published in the usual way alongside other Departmental spend in the annual accounts.